Development of a Sustainable Pest Management Program for Box Tree Moth
A pest of the nursery and landscape industry
Researcher: Abigail Wiesner, MSc candidate – School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph
Advisor: Dr. Cynthia Scott-Dupree, Professor – School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph
The box tree moth or BTM for short is an invasive pest confirmed to be present in Etobicoke, Ontario by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in November 2018. Box tree moth uses boxwood (Buxus sp.) a popular broadleaf as their food source. The caterpillars consume the leaf material, causing severe damage to the point of plant
death. Boxwood represents a high-value but slow-growing crop and is popularly used as hedging in residential and commercial gardens. My research aims to better understand how the moth behaves under Ontario’s climatic conditions, in order to produce a sustainable pest management program. I am focusing on determining where the moth lives, what time of year is it active, and how to control it.
So where is it living? Traps will be placed across Southern Ontario that contain a special lure to capture male moths. Weekly trap collections over multiple years will help track the pest’s spread to new areas and allow our research team to anticipate future movement.
What time of year the pest is active? Known infested sites will be visited to observe all life stages of BTM on boxwood plants. From these observations, a timeline for the pest’s development (egg-adult) can be developed. This information will indicate the time of year the most susceptible life stage occurs.
Our final question remains, how are we going to control it? Chemical control products will be investigated in order to provide robust control options for residential and commercial use. The chemical control options will be integrated into a larger pest management program involving monitoring recommendations for early identification as well as cultural and biological control options.
Armed with this knowledge, residential boxwood owners and commercial boxwood growers alike will be able to fight against the box tree moth. Timing of control tactics to target the most susceptible life stage for maximum efficiency will be possible. Additionally, with multiple control options, there will be confidence in the management plan, ensuring the retention of the boxwood market locally and internationally.
